Artificial tooth



April 1943- A. H. TAMARIN 2,315,669

ARTIFICIAL TOOTH Filed NOV. 25, 1940 INVENTOR H rahamfi T BY mm ATTON Patented Apr. 6, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTIFICIAL TOOTH Abraham H. Tamarin, Chicago, 111.

Application November 25, 1940, Serial No. 366,961

4 Claims.

This invention relates to artificial teeth.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide an artificial tooth comprising two parts having a mounting rod embedded in the two parts and so arranged that the mounting rods of adjacent teeth may be soldered together to form a prong. One of the parts of the tooth includes the entire labial, incisal and part of the lingual surfaces of the incisors and cuspids, and it includes the buccal, occlusal and parts of the lingual, mesial and distal surfaces of the molars and bicuspids. The other part of the tooth includes the portion which rests on th gum tissue. The metal mounting rod preferably, although ,not necessarily, dovetails with both tooth parts and thus facilitates holding the tooth parts together. The tooth parts are secured together and to the metal rod by the usual types of porcelain cements.

The mounting rod within the tooth gives durability and strength to the operating part of the tooth and helps to hold the part of the tooth that bears against the gums. The rod being entirely concealed does not necessarily have to be of pre cious metal since no part of it need ever be exposed to the fluids of the mouth, nor does it come into contact with any part of the gum tissues.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention a bridge can readily be made of a number of teeth constructed in accordance with the present invention. Should one of the teeth chip or break in use the injured part of the two piece tooth may be removed from its mounting rod and replaced by a similar standard part without removing the entire bridge from the mouth of the patient and without separating adjacent teeth.

The attainment of the above and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof.

In the drawing:

Figur 1 is a front view of a bridge comprising a series of anterior teeth constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is an end view of three parts of one of the teeth of the bridge of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a front view of the tooth of Figure 2, said view being taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a top view of the assembled tooth of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a top view of the metallic rod which extends through the tooth;

Figure 6 is a side view of an assembled anterior tooth embodying the present invention;

Figure 7 is a side View of three parts of a molar tooth embodying the present invention;

Figure 8 is a back view of the three parts of the tooth of Figure 7; and

Figure 9 is a top view of the metallic rod or insert of a molar tooth such as shown in Figures 7 and 8.

Reference may now be had more particularly to Figure 1 of the drawing. This figure shows two anterior teeth 1-2, which may be incisors or canine teeth, embodying the present invention, secured together to form a bridge and having means 3 and l secured thereto for mounting the bridge in the human mouth. ihe means 3 and 4 may be of any preferred and known construction adapted to be secured onto two teeth in the human mouth for holding the bridge in place. The means 3 and 4 may comprise caps or tubes of gold or the like, the insides of which are shaped to be a counterpart of the natural teeth in the mouth onto which they are to fit, the natural teeth being previously shaped to receive the caps 3-4 in a manner known in the art. The caps 3-4 are shown diagrammatically for illustrative purposes and no attempt has been made to illustrate a precise cap shape, as any other well known means may be used for permanently or temporarily mounting the bridge in place in the mouth.

In order that the construction of the bridge may be understood it is necessary to understand the construction of one of the teeth l-2. For this purpose reference may be had to Figures 2 and 3 which illustrate the construction of the tooth As previously stated, the tooth may comprise any one of the anterior teeth, such as a central or lateral incisor or a canine tooth. The tooth here shown is an upper tooth. It consists of two parts, indicated at 6 and I, of materials usually used for the manufacture of artificial teeth. Generally the material is a porcelain-lik material. The part 6 of the tooth includes the facial or labial surface 8, which is substantially the entire labial surface of the assembled tooth, the biting or incising surface 9, the lower part H] of the lingual surface of the tooth, and the parts H and I2 constituting the proximal surfaces of the tooth. The back of the tooth is cut away to provide a surface l4 terminating in a ledge l5 spaced from the surface Id by a groove l6 that extends from one proximal surface to another, that is, from the distal to the mesial surface of the tooth. The groove it has a recess or mortise i'l formed therein at the center of the tooth.

A support 20, which is of the general shape of a cross, is provided. This support includes arms 2 |22 which fit snugly in the groove l6, and includes a tongue portion 23 that fits snugly in the mortise l'i. It also includes an upwardly extending tongue portion 24, having beveled elges 25, for receiving the upper tooth part I. For this purpose the upper tooth part I has a recess 28 which is also beveled as at 29. The upper tooth portion is positioned on the lower tooth portion so that the recess 28 receives the tongue portion 24 and the bottom 3! of the upper part 1 rests on the ledge l5. fits snugly in the upper and lower parts of the tooth and thus secures the tooth parts firmly together. commerce for sale to dentists, dental laboratories and the like. While I have herein shown, diagrammatically, a tooth which may be an upper incisor, it is understood that these teeth are to be manufactured in different sizes, shapes and shades of color to correspond with the different sizes, shapes and colors of different teeth likely to be encountered.

To make a bridge in accordance with the present invention the dentist first selects, from standard stock, teeth of the requisite size, kind and color for the particular patients mouth. In this instance two such teeth I--2 are selected. An impression of the gum and adjacent teeth in the patients mouth is made, and with the aid of this impression the two artificial teeth are positioned in an articulator in proper relative positions corresponding to the relative positions they are to occupy in the patients mouth. This is done in the manner usual in dental practice for making a bridge with a one-piece artificial tooth. One of the tooth parts 6 and 1 (but not both 6 and 'l) of each tooth may then be removed from the articulator, leaving the other tooth part of each tooth, and the support 2!! of each tooth in the articulator. The supports 20 are then in the relative position that they will have in the mouth. They are then secured in this relative position by a mass of setting material, such as plaster of Paris or the like. parts is removed. This leaves only the supports 20 in place and in the proper relative positions that they are to occupy in the teeth in the mouth. The supports 28 may then be secured together in any desired manner, as by using solder or the like. Thus during the step of securing the adjacent supports together the tooth parts 5 and i are not in position and therefore there is no danger of discoloring or injuring the porcelain tooth parts by the heat that is applied during the soldering operation. After the supports have been thus se cured together, and secured to the crowns 3-4, the assembled structure, including the crowns and the supports, is removed from the plaster of Paris matrix, and the tooth parts 6 and 1 of each tooth are then mounted on the corresponding supports 28 and are cemented together by a coating of usual dental cement over the abutting surfaces of the tooth parts 6 and I. The assembled bridge may then be mounted in the patients mouth in the usual manner, as by cementing the crowns 3-4 to the adjacent natural teeth.

It is to be noted that by reason of the present invention the means 20 for securing the two artificial teeth together is substantially entirely em- This constitutes a finished article of Then the other one of the two tooth When this is done the support 28 2,e15,eeo

bedded within the tooth. This avoids the unsightly gold backings heretofore used for securing artificial teeth together. It also permits the use of a rod 26 of non-precious material, since the entire support is embedded in the tooth and not exposed to the acids of the mouth.

Should the front part 6 become chipped when in use, it may be removed by breaking the same away from the support 29, in the manner usual in dental ractice, and may be replaced by another tooth part of the same shape, size and color, without removing the bridge from the mouth. The part i, too, can be removed and be replaced without removing the bridge. To replace the back part 7 the dentist selects another standard part I of the requisite size, shape and color and grinds away'the beveled portion 29 thereof and replaces a part of the same with the usual dental cement. This part may then be mounted on the bridge to replace the removed broken part 1.

In Figures 7 and 8 I have shown the present invention as applied to a molar or pre-molar. In this case, as before, the tooth consists of two porcelain-like tooth parts 6' and i secured together by a support 20 that fits snugly in a groove in the part 6' and extends through the tooth from the distal to the mesial proximal surface. The tooth part 6 here, as before, includes the biting or occlusal surface 40, substantially the entire facial or buccal surface 4!, that is, the surface which is on the outside of the jaw, and a part i2 of the lingual surface of the assembled tooth. The upper part 7' includes the rest of the lingual surface and part of the proximal surfaces of the tooth. The support 26' in this instance in-v cludes two arms 43-44 that lie in a groove 46 in the tooth part 5' and. includes a centering projection i! that lies in a central cup 48 in the tooth part 5'. It also includes an upper projection or tongue 49 that extends into and fits snugly in a corresponding recess or mortise in the upper tooth part. The edges 5fl-5il of the support 20' extend to the distal and mesial proximal surfaces and are adapted to be attached to the corresponding edges of another support 20' from an adjacent tooth embodying the present invention. The centering projection 41 is at the end of a bulbous projection 5! that constitutes a trunnion resting in a socket 52 between two projecting parts 53- 53 extending upwardly from a ledge 54 and which are integral parts of the tooth. The two tooth parts 5'-'i dovetail together and with the support 28 so that there is no possible relative movement between them. Immediately prior to permanent mounting of a bridge embodying the present teeth in the mouth, the two tooth parts are cemented together. When the two parts 6f the tooth of the present invention are put together the tooth appears like an all porcelain tooth and has the aesthetic look of a Gazlee crown combined with the sanitation of a true Pontiac. The support which extends through the inside of the tooth gives durability and strength to the facial or biting portion of the two piece tooth and helps to hold and strengthen the other portion of the tooth. It also provides means for forming a strong union between adjacent artificial teeth and a strong union between the end artificial teeth and the jacket or other means provided for securing the bridge to the adjacent natural teeth. The vertical or longitudinal part of the embedded metal support extends parallel with the longitudinal axis of the tooth. The transverse portions of this support form two strong arms which terminate on the mesial and distal surfaces of the tooth, presenting a rectangular appearance exactly where the contact points between adjacent teeth are supposed to be. The entire transverse portion of the support plus the upper and lower projecting tongues give support and strength to the lower portion of the twin tooth which includes the incisal edge of the occlusal surface of the tooth. The upper portion of the twin tooth, that is, the portion adjacent the gums, is anchored on and rests securely upon the upper portion of the longitudinal part of the suppport and also upon the shoulder or shoulders of the transverse part of the support. This upper portion of the twin tooth is thickest in porcelain and is also furthest away from the force of mastication. The part of the tooth which bears the force of mastication is solidly held by the transverse arms of the support and by the projecting tongue of the longitudinal portion of the rod.

While I have herein spoken of an upper tooth, it is to be understood that the same construction is used for the lower teeth.

In compliance with the requirements of the patent statutes I have herein shown and described a few preferred embodiments of my invention. It is, however, to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise constructions here shown, the same being merely illustrative of the principles of the invention.

What I consider new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is.

1. An artificial human tooth comprising two separate parts of which one part includes the entire biting portion of the tooth and substantially the entire labial portion and extends on the lingual side from the biting portion to a shoulder intermediate the biting portion and the opposite end of the tooth, the other part of the tooth resting on the shoulder and extending therefrom to the portion of the tooth which is adjacent the gums in the human mouth, and a securing member extending through the tooth from one proximal surface to the other and embraced by the two separate tooth parts and substantially entirely enclosed thereby but exposed at the proximal edges.

2. A pair of side by side artificial human teeth each having a securing member extending therethrough from one proximal surface to the other and substantially entirely enclosed within the tooth but exposed at the proximal edges thereof, the two members being secured together at the adjacent proximal edges of the teeth, each tooth comprising two parts of porcelain-like material in appearance, one of said parts including the entire biting portion of the tooth and substantially the entire part of the tooth which is exposed on the outer side of the human jaw and terminates in a shoulder on the inner side of the mouth, the other tooth part resting on the shoulder and extending therefrom up to the portion of the tooth which is adjacent the gums in the human mouth.

3. The method of forming a dental bridge by securing together artificial two piece teeth each of which has a mounting support extending therethrough which comprises, forming an impression of the portion of the mouth where the bridge is to be mounted, locating the teeth with respect to the impression in the relative positions they are to occupy in the mouth, holding the respective supports in the relative positions in which they are located by the teeth, then removing the two pieces of each tooth while maintaining the supports in their same relative positions, then permanently securing the supports together while maintaining them in the same relative positions, and then replacing two tooth parts on each support and securing the tooth parts together.

4. An artificial human tooth having a support extending therethrough from one proximal surface to the other proximal surface, said tooth comprising a front piece of porcelain-like material in appearance and including the entire biting portion of the tooth and substantially the entire part of the tooth which is exposed on the outer side of the human jaw, the back of the front piece having a shoulder, the tooth having a back piece of porcelain-like material in appearance and resting on the shoulder and extending to that part of the tooth which is adjacent the gums in the human mouth, said support including a part extending towards the portion of the tooth adjacent the gums in the human mouth but terminating within the tooth and covered by at least one of the two tooth pieces, said support being exposed only at the proximal surfaces and the two tooth pieces completely covering all of the rest of the support.

ABRAHAM H. TAMARIN. 

